Mush Administration ‘Deliberately Failed’ to Protect Benajir Bhutto: UN Panel

A UN probe into the death of former Pakistani premier Benajir Bhutto has concluded that the then military rules Pervez Musharraf’s government ‘failed’ to safeguard her in spite of knowing of serious threats to her life, said media reports.

“Bhutto’s assassination could have been prevented,” the much-awaited 65-page report by a three-member panel headed by Chile’s UN ambassador Heraldo Munoz was quoted as saying.

The panel said that they ‘deliberately failed’ to properly probe 54-year-old Bhutto’s murder which could have been averted, reports said.

The report said that what government did was only to pass messages of the serious threat to Bhutto but took no proactive measures to neutralise the danger, said reports.

The report, nevertheless, does not reveal who killed Bhutto.

“The responsibility for Bhutto’s security on the day of the assassination rested with the federal government, the government of Punjab and the Rawalpindi district police… none of these entities took the necessary measures to respond to the extraordinary fresh and urgent security risk that they knew she faced,” Munoz was quoted as saying while talking to reporters.

“A range of government officials failed profoundly in their efforts first to protect Bhutto and second to investigate with vigour all those responsible for her murder not only in the execution of the attack but also in its conception, planning and financing,” he was quoted as saying.

The panel said that Bhutto faced threat to her life from many quarters such as al-Qaida, Pakistani Taliban, other Jihadist groups and ‘so called establishment in Pakistan’ that comprised of elements of military commanders, intelligence agency, allied political parties and business partners.

(Based on internet reports)